The Leaden Mace Society is an organization spanning Akellon with St. Cuthbert as their patron. They work under the actual church of Cuthbert, as they originate from the fusion of the Templars of St. Cuthbert and a wide array of local law-enforcement organizations spanning what remained of the Charred Veld after the Underdark War. Miron Steelsprocket is a member of this organization. These days, so is Thomas Lazarus.
History
And when a man fits a handle in his shovel, he wraps it in a loop of wire, and thusly clad, the wood shall not split - by this means, an ounce of metal, nothing by itself, will make five feet of cracked timber stronger than a staff made of the best oak. For such is the way of common sense. — Saint Cuthbert and the Common Sense
The Leaden Mace Society was officially funded in the town of Marraburg on the 1st of Cuthon 1097 CA, in the aftermath of the Underdark War, which has claimed many lives and laid waste to most of the region.
The effort towards its establishment was led by the Templars of Saint Cuthbert, the members of which provided for the first crop of Mace officers; most of the initial staff coming from local town militias, former soldiers and the like - usually, a functioning town guard commander got to keep his post, but was assigned a lieutenant originating within the order, while in places where such organisation had to be created from scratch, both the Commander and the Lieutenant tended to originate within the order, or the greater Church of St. Cuthbert.
The name of the society originates from the iconic piece of gear issued to every member - a heavy steel mace with a wooden handle and a small cavity in its head filled with lead in order to improve its dynamic properties (the rest included a badge, a dark grey robe, leather boots, and a studded leather vest).
For the commanders, the Hands of Saint Cuthbert were forged - fist-shaped heavy maces imbued with the essence of law, serving by equal means as symbols of office, personal weapons, and means to ensure ideological suitability of the officer in question.
The first years have brought rather significant losses of staff, leaving most branches in dire need of new qualified personnel despite a rather catholic recruitment policy, and the rather wide benefits of membership. Despite this, and a certain amount of ill-will from the less orderly-minded locals, the organisation grew and within three decades, every Veld town had a Leaden Mace branch office, not even speaking of the towns that grew under the watchful eyes of Mace officers.
The death of the first High Commander and his replacement brought in a certain amount of fresh ideas, among them the expansion into the surrounding regions. Moscra was one of the first to have an independent High Command, not the least because of both spillover of wandering bandits from the area and disappearances of sought perpetrators into it. As the number of such regions increased, the initial quarterly meetings between the High Commanders gave way to the setting of a formal Council of High Commanders as the highest Leaden Mace regulatory and administrative body.
Organization and Hierarchy
What do you call an inquisitor who knows how to read? Inquisitor Archivist. What do you call an inquisitor who knows how to write? Senior Inquisitor Archivist. And what do you call an inquisitor who knows how to read and write? Careless Vecnan agent. — unknown citizen
The Leaden Mace is at its core a law enforcement organization, given the authority to act in such a way by the Kellon crown.
Its philosophy, originating from a particular interpretation of the piece of Cuthbertine scripture quoted earlier is that, under proper guidance by the faithful, almost anyone is able to be put to good use as long as they are willing to obey orders. As such, one can, and often does find people of any and all races, origins, alignments and life philosophies among the Macers, although some of the more chaotic personalities tend to be sparse. Officers, on the other hand tend to be firmly lawful (actual requirement for commander rank), and more often than not affiliated with the Church of Saint Cuthbert in some manner.
Asides from standard-issue equipment which has hardly changed over time (most branches tend to also issue crossbows to all members these days), Mace staff are entitled to food and accommodation at their branch, a relatively small living wage, as well as the possibility to remain behind after cessation of active service either due to age or injury, and finally, a funeral.1 In return, a tithe on earnings gained under the adventurer statute (which grants the finder the rights towards the property of known outlaws) is paid by the individual inquisitors, in addition to money the Mace quite often receives from local administration in return for providing law enforcement.
Asides from regular patrols, investigating reports and denouncements by concerned citizens, interrogation and holding of suspects and other usual town guard duties, the Leaden Mace Society also carries out larger-scale cleanup operations (often collaborating with other agencies) and engages in intelligence gathering aimed at crime prevention and suppression of subversive groups, often across counties and even regions.
Hierarchy
The Leaden Mace Society's staff are divided into three major categories, each with their own Junior, regular, and Senior ranks.
A special mention goes to in-training staff explicitly ranked as such - these are not issued badges as they are not expected to operate alone during their training - they are generally assigned to a particular higher-ranking Mace member for most of their duties.
- Inquisitor - The main body of the Leaden Mace, inquisitors are the ones who do the down and dirty work. They are the ones who go on patrols, stage raids, bring in perpetrators, and otherwise do most of the field work in the Society. Advancement from Junior status is often quick; however, rising to Senior status is more difficult and often takes years of service or exceptional deeds.
- Archivist - The main duty of archivists is the cataloging and keeping of the various magical stores and anomalies the Leaden Mace encounters while on duty. They maintain every branch's archives, which contain everything from bestiaries to criminal records to maps and spellbooks. The vast majority of them are spellcasters, or at least have some training with magic items. While the majority of their time is spent in the stacks, archivists are often called into the field as support spellcasters, and they tend to be hardier than their analyst cousins. Senior archivists tend to be rare; most archivists spend at least a year or two at Junior status, serving under the head archivist of the branch (the one who has the most experience and is "in charge" of the archives, determined by the lieutenant and commander).
- Analyst - The smallest branch of the Leaden Mace Society by numbers, but no less important than the other two, analysts are noncombatants whose primary duties are administrative and analytical. They tend toward divine magic, and those who are not clerics tend to be divination specialists. They are often called upon for scrying, magical forensics, and other magical evidence-gathering and intelligence-gathering services. Most analysts begin in another branch before starting to train as analysts, or join the Leaden Mace later in life, with more experience and spellcasting power under their belts. Inquisitors have been known to scoff at analysts for getting promoted for "doing nothing," but they appreciate the behind-the-scenes aid a trained analyst can give.
- Dual-Branch - Inquisitor-Archivist, Analyst-Archivist, Inquisitor-Analyst… All of these titles are artifacts of an earlier age, when the Leaden Mace barely had enough people to cover every role. Thus, some people have been trained in both sets of duties. These titles are most often seen on non-human agents, such as dwarves, gnomes, and elven-kin these days.
Above the rank and file, there are officers.
- Lieutenant - The branch commander's right-hand man (or woman). Lieutenants by and large tend to be much more involved with the rank and file than the commanders, and tend to go out on field duty when needed far more often. Often, they serve as a branch's "face" as well, meeting with people and receiving cases. Most lieutenants were Seniors in their respective branches before their promotion, though there are rare exceptions.
- Commander - The head of any one local branch. Commanders are selected by the local High Command, sometimes in conjunction with the old commander if he or she is retiring, being promoted, or otherwise stepping down from the position. It is most common that a commander's old lieutenant becomes the next commander. Commanders receive reports from the officers and perform the various administrative duties of the branch. It's a highly prestigious position, but as always, with great power comes great paperwork.
- Captain - Roughly equal in power to a branch commander, the captains are the lieutenants of the High Commanders. They were often commanders beforehand, or the lieutenants of a commander who was promoted to the High Command.
- High Commander - There are currently five High Commanders in Akellon, which form the High Council, the highest authority within the Leaden Mace Society. Each region of Akellon has its own High Commander; Central, Coastal, Veld, Falaris, and Moscra.
Honors and Awards
- Copper Star/Silver Star/Gold Star/Platinum Star - awarded for 10, 25, 50, and 100 years of service, respectively. These are affixed to the top of one's badge.
- Order of Cuthbert's Fist - "Resolve begets all virtues." An award for heroic action in the field above and beyond the call of duty. The design is a fist in a double-circled cross.
- Order of the Vigilant - "Many look, but the wise see." An award for uncovering heresy, either within or outside of the order. The design resembles a Senior Analyst's badge; a Cuthbertine cross with an eye in the place of the central gem.
- Order of the Crook - An award for exemplary leadership. While the name may evoke snickers from the uninformed, the design is based on a shepherd's crook.
- (Rank) of Distinction - A general, low-level award for exemplary action in one's field. One who has earned such an award has a small silver cap on the end of the mace handle supporting their badge.
Known Branches around the World
Castleton Branch
- Alberic Ashmore - The commander and head inquisitor of the Castleton branch of the Leaden Mace Society.
- Alissa Remina - Friend of Robin's, and fellow undercover agent.
- Anise Berilan - A Leaden Mace inquisitor with more than a slight fondness for spirits.
- Cadamon Gardner - Priest of St. Cuthbert, and assistant to Commander Ashmore.
- Flint Carthan and Smoke - A human witch-hunter and member of the Leaden Mace Society, and his canine companion.
- Gilric Golrunn - A dwarven Leaden Mace inquisitor who is a heck of a cook.
- Landon Skar - A taciturn Leaden Mace inquisitor and friend of Flint.
- Orrin Oakley - A knight of the Aureate Palm, serving as a liaison with the Leaden Mace and as Trevor's teacher.
- Richter Malino - The resident archivist of the Castleton branch of the Leaden Mace Society, brother of Robin.
- Robin Malino - A Leaden Mace inquisitor who specializes in undercover work. Sister of Richter.
- Sonya Goldworthy - A Leaden Mace archivist with a sharp tongue and a great desire to be left alone to her studies.
- Trevor Merrimac -The newest recruit of the Castleton branch of the Leaden Mace Society.
- Thomas Lazarus - A human inquisitor, templar of Pelor, and a professional bleeding heart.
Braxton Falls Branch
- Blake Coisurn - The commander and head inquisitor of the Braxton Falls branch of the Leaden Mace Society.
- Raven Nersoir - Lieutenant Commander of the Braxton Falls branch.
- Aldwin Geas - An inquisitor stationed in Thalinde.
- Gradia Thorngage - A halfling senior analyst who has been compared to a "short adorable Commander Ashmore."
- Miron Steelsprocket - A gnomish inquisitor known for his swearing, rhymes, and profound hate of drow.
- Thompson - One of Braxton Falls' archivists. His first name is a mystery.
- Marty - An inquisitor from Braxton Falls who has apparently swore an oath of silence. His second name is a mystery.
Yoriver Branch
- Charles Whitaker - Commander of the Yoriver Mace with a love for lists, suspected of Hextorian heresy (by Stanford)
- Roy Stanford - Lieutenant Commander of the Yoriver Mace with a menacing prosthetic eye, suspected of Hextorian heresy (by Whitaker)
- Lyle Petersen - Archivist, heavy smoker, malconvoker.
- Grant Warner - Senior Inquisitor, smith, cat lover, one of the initiators of the Great Cat Feud of 1220 (followup of the Feline Cold War 1217-1220)
- Ansramil Hawkin - Inquisitor with a missing right arm and a fondness for Kaduan literature.
- Igor Drechsler - Inquisitor living his second try, on a penal transfer, owner of the wolfdog Nina, and one of the initiators of the Great Cat Feud of 1220
- Mordecai Cyral - Inquisitor, professional snitch and part-time brown noser.
- Ronald Baal - Inquisitor with an unfortunate name and even more unfortunate legacy he has kicked away.
- Rumariron Arisanaro - Inquisitor Rum as he's called, he's not got the drinking stamina to match the name.
- Rhiannon Ivar - Inquisitor Ivar is known for consistently defying the laws of nature by appearing to live on coffee alone. Recently gone on a health kick, or so it'd appear.
- Victor Fyth - Junior Analyst, and formerly something of a timid fellow.
- Sheythsanthi Simtherzairvin - Senior Inquisitor, he used to be a deputy in the former elven settlement.
- Horm Bladebeard - Dwarven magus, Archivist.
- Jared Hanson - Inquisitor, took part in arrest of Roy Stanford
- Hruk Tremain - Inquisitor, took part in arrest of Roy Stanford
- Leila Cooper - Archivist, tiefling, dread necromancer. Lyle's friend.
- Alissa Irving - One of the few inquisitors who has thus far been able to match Miron in swearing.
- Silas Blackwater - The half-elven head analyst of the branch.
- Falstaff Brushgather - A small eyepatched swordsman.